NHS and NI increase is necessary

National Health Service and National Insurance, Increase not enough?

I am surprised to hear that the proposed increase in
National Insurance contributions has been described as a tax on
employment.

It is my understanding that our payments to the
National Insurance scheme are meant to provide the funding for the
National Health Service, Unemployment Benefit (Job Seekers Allowance) our
State Pension and several other benefits. Do they still?

With the increasing cost of providing health care,
due to people living longer and the greater expenditure on hospital
equipment the obvious answer is to increase the contribution of working
people (everyone in employment) to the National Insurance Service (NI).

I do not understand why anyone should object to an
increase in their NI contributions. Everyone knows that because people are
living longer, due to our excellent National Health Service and a greater
understanding of what we need to keep healthier, that we will need to have
a pension for a longer retirement, and might need long term health care.
More money is needed, therefore the NI contribution needs to be increased.
The proposed increase is probably not enough. The French pay more, for
example, for their health service. It is surely, only fair that our
contributions cover the cost of these essential services. Tax on
employment! Surely this accusation can be rejected?

I have never quite understood why the employer
should pay towards the NI contributions though, unless, it is because the
employer gradually makes the employee ill due to unhealthy working
conditions, and stress! Should the employers contribution be gradually
reduced? If not why not?

What I believe people do object to, is the extent to
which their hard earned money is wasted by bureaucracy. The alternative
to increases in NI is raising revenue from the proposed Labour Death Tax
and confiscation of money from those who have worked all their life to own
the house they live in by Inheritance Tax and having to sell their
property to meet the cost of their care. Many people feel that these
types of taxes are totally unacceptable, except for the super rich.
However, perhaps the Labour Party would prefer that people lived in
council houses and paid rent rather than scrimp and save to buy their own
house?